Songs from a Grand Symphony
by Lucea
Summary: A collection of unrelated drabbles inspired by various randomly selected songs.
1. Foundations of Stone: Lloyd, Mithos

**Disclaimer:** _Tales of Symphonia _and its characters are copyright Namco Ltd. All songs mentioned here belong to their respective copyright holders. These works are not for profit.

A/N: These drabbles are all the result of putting my music playlist on shuffle and writing to whatever comes up for the length of the song. Not every lyric of each song applies to them, but each drabble was inspired by the song listed. Most of these drabbles will center around the original game. The sequel might make its way in a few times. These may include up to full game spoilers for both games.

* * *

**Song:** Foundations of Stone, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Soundtrack  
**Focal Character(s): **Lloyd, Mithos

The foundation is, perhaps, the most important part of the building. It supports whatever is built upon it. A foundation can't be moved, or so they say. Sometimes, though, Lloyd couldn't bring himself to believe – or maybe he just didn't want to believe – those words. He knew full well the foundation he was built on, and that it didn't always line up with others'. In fact, it tore at his heart to think he couldn't move others' foundations.

But what were they, foundations? Experiences, memories, that made a person who he or she was. And he wanted so badly to move certain foundations, but he knew that Mithos's foundation was unmovable. He'd spent too many years building on that foundation to move now. But Lloyd wasn't convinced that Mithos's foundation was holding him up any more. In fact, it seemed more to Lloyd that Mithos's foundation was good and solid, but Mithos hadn't figured out how to build on it properly. He'd so contorted the building that it was falling despite its solid foundation.

Foundations can't be moved. But, Lloyd thought as he turned toward the Tower of Salvation to try one last time, sometimes the building can be.


	2. Wake Up: Zelos

**Song:** Wake Up, Ag Silver**  
Focal Character(s):** Zelos

Zelos wasn't sure who needed the wake up call the most: Lloyd or Kratos.

What made them think they could trust him? Lloyd, well, his bud was just a trusting guy. If he and Colette had their way, they'd trust every kid they ran into. Thankfully there were saner minds in the party. And Kratos – why did Kratos even ask him to help? Neither of them, Kratos or his son, had caught onto what Zelos really wanted. Zelos didn't want to save the world, regardless of whether the world wanted him to save it. If anything, he wanted to get out of saving the world. That's why Mithos's promise was so tempting. It would be so easy.

It wasn't until he stood in the Tower of Salvation and finally made up his mind that he figured out who had needed the wake up call the most: himself.


	3. Samwise the Brave: Lloyd, Colette

**Song:** Samwise the Brave, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Soundtrack**  
Focal Character(s): **Lloyd, Colette

"Hey Colette?"

"What is it, Lloyd?"

"You know all those stories, like Mithos the Hero and Spiritua and all those?" Lloyd glanced over at Colette, who lagged behind the others with him on their way to the next seal.

"Yeah. Why?" Colette seemed perplexed at the question. Lloyd smiled, looking off into the distance.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe, someday, people will tell stories like that about you." Colette laughed a little, but Lloyd went on before she could reply. "They'll say, 'tell me about Colette again. The Chosen, who saved the world!' And then whoever's telling the story will say, 'yeah, that's one of my favorite stories.' And then they'll tell about how you went from seal to seal, and never gave up, and even-"

"But Lloyd, you've left out one of the most important characters," Colette interrupted.

"Huh?" Now it was Lloyd's turn to be perplexed.

Colette grinned. "And then they'll say, 'but Colette couldn't have done anything without Lloyd the Great! I want to hear more about him!'"

Lloyd looked away, his face reddening slightly, one hand reaching up to the back of his head like it would every time he was embarrassed. "Well, I-"

"It's the truth," Colette said simply, running ahead to join the others. Lloyd hung back for a moment.

"Lloyd the Great, huh..."

* * *

A/N: Most of this dialogue is based on a conversation between Sam and Frodo in _The Lord of the Rings_. So disclaimer: it doesn't belong to me.


	4. Kristy, Are You Doing OK?: Presea, Lloyd

**Song:** Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?, The Offspring**  
Focal Character(s):** Presea, Lloyd

Time was relative, they said. A minute could be so short, or so long. Her time, the time she missed, seemed so long. Like she'd missed out on so much of her life. And she had. Her childhood was gone. Suddenly she was an adult-yet-child, lost and alone.

"Presea?"

She turned at the voice. Lloyd was standing there.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Presea didn't answer immediately. Ordinarily, she would have said "yes" without hesitation. They didn't need to worry about her, and she wasn't the type to answer that question with a "no." But she didn't know what to say. Was this... conflict, inside her?

"Actually, that was a dumb question. What's wrong?"

How could he tell?

"It's about your lost time, right?"

...he knew that, too?

"Well, I've been thinking. The past... won't come back. We can't change the past. And... I know it's hard sometimes, but we can't keep looking back. I know I've made mistakes, but I can't keep looking back at them. We've gotta move on. And, well, I'm not gonna waste my whole life trying to get back something I can't. I'm gonna look forward."

Look... forward?

"I don't wanna be insensitive, you know, but, I just thought maybe you were feeling like I was about your lost time... wanting to live in the past and all." Lloyd shrugged, then turned away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Actually, uh, forget I said anything. Sorry."

"Lloyd."

"Huh?" He turned back, confused.

"...Thank you."

She had been wrong. She may have been lost, but she wasn't alone.


	5. Pressing On: Lloyd

**Song:** Pressing On, Relient K**  
Focal Character(s): **Lloyd

Lloyd refused to give up. When Iselia was razed because of him, he chose to travel with Colette to atone for his sins. When Colette lost her soul, he chose to go to Tethe'alla to find a way to cure her. When the Great Seed went out of control, he chose to find a way to stop it. When splitting the worlds wouldn't work, he chose to find a way to bring them together.

Professor Sage had told him that sometimes he had to accept the possibility that there was no other way. But Lloyd refused to believe it. There was always another way. He couldn't give up. Never. He would find a way for everyone – Sylvarant, Tethe'alla, the Chosens, humans, elves, half-elves, everyone – to be happy. No matter what set him back, he had to keep pressing on toward his goal. And he would achieve it. He had no doubts. He couldn't afford them. He was going to make it. He would never give up.


	6. Honor To Us All: Colette

**Song:** Honor To Us All, Mulan Soundtrack**  
Focal Character(s):** Colette

It was hard for Colette, sometimes. She went to the temple. She learned her lessons. She spoke the angelic tongue. She listened to the priests, performed the rituals, smiled and nodded when others addressed her.

"Chosen One, be careful."

"Are you going to the temple, Chosen One?"

"Chosen One, the oracle is coming soon, isn't it?"

"You're going to save the world, Chosen One!"

"Chosen One!"

"Chosen One!"

Sometimes, she didn't want to be "Chosen One." She wanted to be "Colette." But she knew her duty. So on the hard days, she just laughed a little and made her smile all the brighter. She was the Chosen One. She would bring them salvation. No matter what the cost.


	7. Sadie Hawkins Dance: Genis

**Song:** Sadie Hawkins Dance, Relient K**  
Focal Character(s):** Genis**  
**  
Genis pulled awkwardly at the collar of his jacket, trying not to let it seem like he was looking at Presea more than he should have been. And he wasn't! He- he was looking at everyone, because they all looked so, so different, and P-Presea just l-looked so c-cute... b-but he was s-stuttering just th-thinking about it, so he knew he'd n-never b-be able to a-actually t-tell her...

With a sigh, Genis glanced over toward her again. There was dancing at these parties, m-maybe they could- ah-h, who was he kidding? He couldn't even get up the n-nerve to tell her she looked p-pretty in her new outfit. If only _she_ could ask _him_.

"Hey, kid, who're you going so gooey-eyed over? Oh, Presea does look cute, doesn't she? Hey, your face is turning all red-"

"Sh-Shut it, Zelos!"


	8. No Good Deed: Mithos

**Song:** No Good Deed, Wicked Soundtrack**  
Focal Character(s): **Mithos

No- no, no- let it not be true- she was gone- his world shattered- broken- lost- hurt- confused- alone- so, so alone...

Why did the world hate them? Why did they have to take her? _Why?_ He'd tried to help them; _she'd_ tried to help them – they'd given everything for _them_. And afterwards, after everything good he and his sister and their friends had done for _them_, _they_ had only talked about it, some of them, as if they were trying to help "those poor, miserable creatures," but they lied. They lied to themselves, they lied to the half-elves. They lied to everyone.

He wasn't going to let them. He wasn't going to let them keep lying. He wasn't going to let her be gone. He would fulfill her final wish. He would end discrimination. He would make them all the same. And if not, a world just for his sister. Just for his sister and him.

Just them. No one else. Forever. Alone.

So, so alone...


	9. Reflection: Raine

**Song:** Reflection, Mulan Soundtrack**  
Focal Character(s):** Raine

Raine gave the mirror a passing glance on her way out the door. On second thought, she paused, habitually adjusting her hair to make sure it covered her not-quite-human-not-quite-elven ears. She didn't try to pass for a human, but she'd take anything that would help deter people from giving her an extra glance as they passed on the street.

She just wished people would see her based on who she was, not what blood flowed through her veins or what shape her ears were or weren't. It was a childish wish, in a way – she could hardly hope to end discrimination so wholly, let alone overnight. But someday, humans, elves, and those caught in between, like her brother and herself, would live together in harmony. Maybe. Someday.

But for now, she gave the mirror one last glance, touched her hair again for good measure, and quietly walked out the door.


	10. Gotta Be Somebody: Zelos

**Song:** Gotta Be Somebody, Nickelback**  
Focal Character(s):** Zelos

Somewhere out there, there had to be somebody who wasn't so _shallow_. Mind, Zelos had been called shallow himself more than once, but that was the mask he put up anyway, so what did it matter? But there had to be somebody – somebody who actually cared about him for _him_. Somebody who didn't look at him and see status, wealth, and power to be had. Somebody who looked at him and actually saw a human being. A person who was just as much of a person as the rest of them.

And, well, maybe if he was lucky, one day, he'd find that somebody. But for now, he'd play their games, flirt with the ladies, embrace his Chosen status and milk it for all it was worth. What else could he do? If none of them wanted to see him as a person, he couldn't make them. So he just gave them what they wanted.

But there had to be somebody out there somewhere. There had to.


	11. Pleading the Fifth: Entire party

**Song:** Pleading the Fifth, Relient K  
**Focal Character(s):** Entire party

"Lloyd, what are you doing?"

"Why do you want the Centurions' cores?"

"Why won't you tell us anything?"

"Lloyd, answer us!"

"Talk to us, Lloyd!"

"Lloyd!"


	12. A Penny Loafer Saved: Emil, Marta

**Song:** A Penny Loafer Saved Is A Penny Loafer Earned, Relient K  
**Focal Character(s):** Emil, Marta

"Hey, Marta?"

"What is it, Emil?"

Emil rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I've just been thinking, your shoes..."

"Oh, my boots! You're so sweet, Emil! I can't believe you actually noticed what shoes I was wearing! You think they're cute, don't you? Right?"

"Um, s-sure, I guess...?"

"Oh, Emil!" Marta giggled. "Thank you! That's so sweet!"

"I was just thinking they must not be very comfortable, since they're so... small..." Emil mumbled. Marta was too busy giggling happily and cooing about her love for Emil to notice.

Tenebrae laughed. "Maybe they weren't as expensive as more comfortable shoes. 'A penny loafer saved is a penny loafer earned,' as you humans say."

"I really don't think that's the right saying..."

* * *

A/N: Apologies for the slight break in canon – I know they don't exactly have pennies, but "a Gald loafer" just didn't sound right to me.


	13. If I Didn't Have You: Entire party

**Song:** If I Didn't Have You, Thompson Square  
**Focal Character(s):** Entire party

There was something that kept them going. The journey wasn't always easy – the journey was rarely easy – but somehow, they kept going.

Something kept them laughing when it rained on the road and they were forced to camp in the mud. Something kept them walking when supplies were low and morale was lower. Something kept them fighting when it would be so much easier to just give up.

If they didn't have each other, they never would have made it more than a few steps beyond the door. They never would have survived all those battles against monsters and angels. They never would have been able to start clearing away the ruins and rubble of a tower that surrounded the new World Tree – everyone's Tree.

"Lloyd! Are you coming?"

Lloyd couldn't help but grin at the smile in Colette's very eyes. Already scrambling over the rocks toward where everyone else waited, he shouted back.

"Is that even a question?"

* * *

A/N: This one is dedicated to colette . brunel . 3, a fantastic friend whose name doesn't actually have any spaces in it and who suggested this song for a Symphonia drabble. Thanks for all the reviews and encouragement, Colette. Keep being awesome.


	14. Swallowed in the Sea: Yuan, Botta

**Song:** Swallowed in the Sea, Coldplay  
**Focal Character(s):** Yuan, Botta

Bottta died in the line of duty. The death of a soldier was far from unheard of; it was always a possibility. Renegades had died before.

Yuan had seen more than his share of people die. He'd lived for four thousand years, after all. But over the years he'd known Botta, they'd become friends, somehow. Yuan didn't make friends easily, but he'd come to count Botta among the few he had.

So when Botta died, as a soldier, Yuan moved on. But as a friend, he grieved.

Bottta died in the line of duty, but that didn't make the grief any less.


	15. If This is the Last Time: Colette

**Song:** If This Is the Last Time, Ag Silver  
**Focal Character(s):** Colette

This might be the last time she took a step. This might be the last time she got onto her knees. This might be the last time she bowed her head and prayed. This might be the last time she took out her wings. This might be the last time she opened her eyes.

This might be the last time she spoke. This might be the last time she heard a voice. This might be the last time she saw a face. This might be the last time she took a breath. This might be the last time she smiled. This might be the last time she made a wish.

If this was the last time, she would let go willingly. For him. For all of them.

It was time to say goodbye.


	16. Let It All Out: Zelos

**Song:** Let It All Out, Relient K  
**Focal Character(s):** Zelos

He could see the pain on their faces, all of them, even the ones who normally hid their emotions so well. They had believed in him, they had really believed in him.

Zelos ignored the unwelcome pang that jolted through his heart, thrusting it down inside until he could almost forget it existed. He hardened his expression further, trying to ignore the devastated looks he was receiving from Lloyd, Colette, Sheena... everyone.

He _had_ to do this. They didn't understand and he couldn't tell them. Going into it, he'd known it would hurt them on some level. It was a last minute decision. He'd almost betrayed them and _meant it_.

Instead, he'd have to let the results of his efforts speak for him. He'd get the Aionis, save Colette, save them all... but for now, he had to deal with the pain he was causing them.

And for the first time, it scared him a little just how easy it was to not care.


	17. This Isn't Love: Yuan, Mithos

**Song:** This Isn't Love, Ag Silver  
**Focal Character(s):** Yuan, Mithos

Mithos may have loved his sister once, but he didn't any more. Mithos may have thought he loved his sister, but he was wrong. That wasn't love.

He was obsessed with her, that was all. Anyone who actually loved her would have let her rest in peace, not drag her through what must be a painful, helpless existence. Yuan thought, or maybe it was just wistful thinking, that Martel could see what was going on, that she could hear him in the lonely moments when he spoke to her in the empty hall.

But more often than not, he desperately hoped she couldn't. If she had to exist like this, chained to the Great Seed, he wanted her existence to be a peaceful one. Yuan knew what it was to love Martel. The pain of her death was still there, four thousand years later.

Mithos didn't love his sister. Love wasn't blind to the pain it was causing the beloved.


	18. You'll Always Be My Best Friend: Genis

**Song:** You'll Always Be My Best Friend, Relient K  
**Focal Character(s):** Genis

They were best friends from the moment they met. It was always the three of them. Lloyd, Genis, and Colette. Colette, Lloyd, and Genis. The three of them. Always. Best friends.

That was why it was hard when Genis met Mithos. He knew what it was like to have a best friend. And Mithos was the first friend Genis had ever had of his own race. He wanted Mithos to be another of their best friends. Genis, Colette, Lloyd, and Mithos. They accepted him with open arms.

And even when he learned the truth, Genis knew that somehow, Mithos would always be one of them. His best friends.


End file.
